


How To Redesign A Star Destroyer And Avoid Politics (For Fun And Profit)

by planningconquest



Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Developing father & son relationship, Engineering, Krennic mentioned, Lady Ex, Scarif, Sunshine Luke Skywalker, Upgrades, and attention, demands reapirs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:53:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24593326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/planningconquest/pseuds/planningconquest
Summary: Inspired by the majestic  How To Reinvent The Stormtrooper Armor To Make Your Surrogate Father Proud And Shut The Naysayers Up For Fun And Profit, this fic followed Luke as he begins to understand that a lady is not to be kept waiting and that the Executor will get its upgrades.
Relationships: Firmus Piett & Luke Skywalker, Luke Skywalker & Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker & Maximilian Veers
Comments: 79
Kudos: 1365





	How To Redesign A Star Destroyer And Avoid Politics (For Fun And Profit)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jackdaw_Kraai](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jackdaw_Kraai/gifts).
  * Inspired by [How To Reinvent The Stormtrooper Armor To Make Your Surrogate Father Proud And Shut The Naysayers Up For Fun And Profit](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24540286) by [Jackdaw_Kraai](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jackdaw_Kraai/pseuds/Jackdaw_Kraai). 



Navy men, regardless of the era, ship, and allegiance, _knew_ their ships. They knew the way they creaked, moved, shifted in the winds, and reacted to solar magnetic flares. A good navy man could know how the ship would like a new crew member and how they liked the captain. Ancient ships rested on ocean floors, burnt out moons and asteroids, cradling the remains of their crew; because a good navy man would always go down with his ship. 

Captain Piett was a good navy man. He knew the Lady Ex as well as the designers and engineers who built her. He knew her better than any other sentient onboard, excluding Lord Vader. While not a believing in Lord Vader's... _Force_ business, it couldn't be totally discounted when he considered the Lady Ex. She hadn't been designed with a fully competent AI. He might disclaim the newly willful mouse droids that roamed the corridors in bright colors and boasting name tags. He might even scoff at the idea of an astromech with a mind of its own...built off of the programming and formed under the impressions from situations it operated through and the people it met. 

He had no such reservations about Lady Ex. The largest battleship to come out of the Kuat Shipyards. State-of-the-art, with labs that could assist in the re-design of the stormtrooper armor, apparently, gleaming and bristling with enough weaponry to slag an entire _fleet_ of rebel or pirate ships. Stars! Even an Imperial fleet would have trouble standing against his lady...so long as she was led properly. As long as she was crewed properly. As long as _someone_ didn't start fiddling with her insides. 

His datapad pinged, and Captain Piett roused himself from his paperwork induced stupor to open the message. 

It was an image of Head Engineer Lars, the current star of the ship who had reached near God-like status with the release of his armor. The 501st now adored him with the same fervor as they did Lord Vader, and the rest of the Stormtrooper Corps was rapidly coming to the same conclusion. Lord Vader, for all of his usual reticence, hadn't had a word to say against the young engineer since he came on board. Piett himself had grown to appreciate the young man's easy temper, affable personality, and wit to save lives during tedious officer's meetings. 

"What is he up to?" He wondered aloud, and the next message was a simulation. With flawless animation derived from flawless calculation, the bridge of the Executor exploded, and the small figures of the bridge crew vanished into space. "Ah," he said, not really understanding. The animation sequence played itself out, and the systematic destruction of the Lady Ex played out until all hands were lost, and the only thing left of Lady Ex was space dust. 

Clearly, this had upset the old girl. 

"I'll speak to him," Piett promised, and rose from his desk. Waiting just outside his office, was a mouse droid with an orange and white color scheme, its name tag read "BB." It beeped at him, and Piett followed the droid down into the bowels of the ship to find the target of Lady Ex's ire. 

#$#$#$3

Head Engineer Luke Lars was hiding. 

Not from Lord Vader, who could make the bravest man climb walls and drag them up after them. Not even Admiral Ozzel, who was so annoying that Luke suspected the ship itself switched off the intercom unit when he gave an announcement. He wasn't even hiding from the CMO, who had begun to suspect that Luke was pulling in extra hours and was thus occupied with tranqing him.

He was hiding from the Stormtroopers. 

His datapad re-ran the simulation he'd devised, sitting out the same horrible data, and Luke sighed deeply. It didn't look good. Stormtrooper armor was one thing, but the whole ship? Even with the extra work he'd done on Lady Ex's worst system tangles and wire screw-ups, nothing had gotten better. 

A faint buzz from below caught his attention, and Luke peered through the vents to see Captain Piett standing below. _Odd._ They weren't supposed to bring anyone to him; he was hiding! 

"Head Engineer Lars?" Captain Piett coughed into his fist. "Are you available?" 

"Yes, sir!" He opened the vent and draped his torso out with a grin. "What can I help you with?" 

"I," the man was impassive, but Luke had the feeling he was raising a mental eyebrow. "Please, I would prefer to speak face-to-face." 

"...yes, sir." Trying not to look too dejected, Luke climbed down and hoped he didn't pass any of the troopers who were overly excited. He was proud of his creation, unbelievably so, but being showered with so much attention and focus was making him uncomfortable. Captain Piett started leading him back to the office, and as Luke passed an outlet, a charge of electricity jumped out. "OW!" He yelped, dropping his datapad and clutching his thigh where the supercharge had hit. "Ow!" Rubbing the faint burn, he stared at the outlet and stared at Piett. "That keeps happening! I don't even know what's causing it! I've gone through the wiring and everything else! Not to mention, _it's only happening to me_." 

"I see." Captain Piett did seem to see. "Any other strange occurrences?" 

"Most of my laundry is shredded. The caf machine doesn't work in my lab anymore. I can fix those, but they keep breaking!" 

"Peculiar," the man nodded. "Head Engineer, have you had any trouble with your latest project?" 

"Which one?" Luke had at least half a dozen going on at any minute. 

"Hmmm, do any of your works involve the Executor directly?" 

"Oh, sure! Most of them do!" 

#$#43

Piett would have been more tactful, but he had to smooth the lady's feeling over. A catfight between the oblivious, but the well-meaning head engineer and the ship he worked on would be a disaster. 

(He tried not to think about the fact that he was doing his best to smooth over a _ship's_ feelings.) Lady Ex had chosen him, and a good captain always listened to his ship. Not to mention the fact that Lord Vader would get involved if Lars was continuously inconvenienced. Though he had no solid proof, Captain Piett was beginning to believe that Lord Vader would spin the galaxy backward if Lars ever mentioned he wanted it. There wasn't a coincidence that new machines, equipment, and the latest model of datapad had shown up in Lars's lab. 

(He tried not to think of that either.) 

"A rewiring trick, perhaps?" 

"Nah, a rebuild." If Piett hadn't strategically squashed the urges to show emotions, a dangerous habit around Lord Vader, he would have been shocked. He would have been enraged and offended in equal parts. 

"A _rebuild?"_ He asked, doing his best to pretend that he didn't want to take the shiny new datapad and wack the brat with it. "Lady Ex is _the best_ ship in the galaxy." 

"Not really, I can tell her construction went to the lowest bidder." 

" _Lord Vader_ had a hand in designing these systems and the ship itself!" If Lars wanted to insult the lady and Lord Vader, then Piett should be the last person to try and stop him. Between a rock and a hard place, the lad might learn something of tact and discretion. His annoyance lasted only as long as it took Lars to turn around and level the same worried, tooka-kit eyes that made lesser officers ignore transgressions. 

"I know that, Captain Piett. That doesn't mean there aren't improvements to be found." He opened his mouth to say more and then turned his head sharply. That was the signal that Lord Vader was coming, so Piett smoothed down the front of his uniform. Sure enough, the man in black stalked around the corner. 

"Lord Vader," Piett saluted respectfully. 

"Lord Vader," Luke Lars graced the man with a brilliant smile, visibly relieved. No one was ever relieved to see Lord Vader, saved for beleaguered troopers who had gotten boxed into a kill-zone, and Vader came to erase their opposition. Was that how Lars was viewing this conversation? Was there something else? 

Lord Vader's helmet shifted to Lars, and the man came to a halt beside them. It was a little odd to have a tete a tete in a corridor, but no one would dare eavesdrop on Lord Vader.

...except Lady Ex. 

"Captain Piett, return to the bridge and set a course for Scarif."

"Yes, my lord." Saluting, he gave the engineer a glance and moved to the bridge to carry out his orders. Why were they making a sudden turn about for Scarif?

#$#$#

Luke stared at Captain Piett's retreating back and wondered if he'd done something to upset him. Then, he turned to Lord Vader, who seemed agitated and annoyed. Not at Luke, but in general. Probably for whatever reason they were going to Scarif...wherever that was.

"Lord Vader?" He asked, and the man tilted his helmet in the way that meant he was listening. "What is Scarif?" 

"Scarf is the location of an Imperial databank." Vader began to walk, and Luke followed after him. "It is where data and the latest projects are uploaded. There exists a complete collection of Imperial projects." 

"May I ask _why_ we're going to Scarif, milord?" 

"You are going to upload the schematics and blueprints for the armor, the AT-AT redesigns, the AT-ST redesigns, as well as the new TIE schematics." 

"Am I supposed to take all of my designs and schematics?" He wondered, and there was a burst of static. 

"Yes, assemble an entire collection of your designs and move to the correct datafiles for transport and upload." 

"Yes, milord." He hadn't actually kept track of all of his upgrades and re-designs. There were several mouse-droid redesigns, half a dozen new upgrades for various ships and shuttles. He had already started on the Lamba shuttles, but nothing was concrete. 

"You will be escorted by Commander Cody and three of his best troopers," Lord Vader continued. "You are to descend to the planet, dispense with the schematics, and return to the Executor." The man was insistent and even a little intense about the whole business. Still, Luke was thrilled. 

He had never been to another planet before! His whole life had been spent on Tatooine and then on the Executor. He now had the chance to see and set foot on a whole new planet! 

"Yes, sir." He hummed along beside the man as they moved through the ship. Then, what Captain Piett had said, came back to him. "Did you really help design Lady Ex, sir?" 

"I did," the man's helmet was angled toward him in a way that indicated he should continue. 

"I can tell. She's not as bad off as some of the fleet ships, but I can tell where the other engineers got more work in." 

"Indeed?" Was that droll? Did Lord Vader sound droll? Could he? 

"Sure!" Luke held out his datapad, pulling up the ship's schematics. "I can tell where some people work on somethings. You worked on the sublight engines, hyperdrive, as well as the power core?" When the man didn't respond, Luke took that as an affirmative and then hesitated. 

Should he mention what he found wrong with the ships' designs? Should he bring up what he'd noticed while working on the ship as well as the other problems? Vader might be offended...or he might not. Luke was pretty confident in their relationship, but engineers were usually pretty protective of their designs. Luke was no expectation and had been fielding angry communications from someone on Eadu. 

"You have shown so little concern with the delicate feelings of engineers as well as their shoddy designs; I wonder why you pause now?" Vader was definitely amused, and Luke relaxed long enough to bring up the places he felt were the largest problem areas. 

"I don't want to offend you, Lord Vader." 

"Speak your piece, Lars." 

"Well," he dove in. "They're great designs, but they could use a little streamlining. That's only possible if you take into account life support and everything else. You see, even if three systems are designed _really_ well, if the whole thing isn't done that way, then it's sort of limping along. A big problem I've identified is that a few shots can cause a chain reaction that would ruin the _entire_ ship. I'm talking about all-hands-lost sort of scenario. There isn't enough protection of the primary or the secondary bridge, and the shields need to be upgraded something fierce. They rely _a lot_ on sheer power output. That's not so bad, but." Luke was cut off abruptly as the artificial gravity cut out, and he floated off the floor and toward the ceiling. 

Vader, possessing magnetic boots, watched his ascent as equally baffled as Luke, still connected to the floor. 

"AH! OH NO! ACK!" His arms and legs flailed, and his datapad went flying from his hands. "AH. Help!" He gulped, then yelped as his head hit the ceiling, and he pushed off of it. The sudden reversion from regular gravity, even artificial, made his head spin. Luke just knew he was making a complete ass of himself in front of Lord Vader. One of the few men whose opinion he valued and wanted. 

"I believe," Vader mused in a tone that sounded thoughtful. Luke wasn't too sure; he was too busy trying to figure out why the artificial gravity had cut out. "You have insulted Lady Ex." 

" _What_?" Luke's arms flapped his arms. There was something instinctual about the motion, something that showed that humans had genetic memories of their earliest ancestors imitating birds as children. Something that shows when a boy from a planet _without_ birds, and who had never seen one in person...would flap their arms about like one with only a bare understanding of what he was copying. 

A burst of static from the Sith had Luke angling his head toward Vader, and glaring. "You could help!" Luke exclaimed, still flapping. 

"Perhaps," Vader tucked his thumbs in his belt, watching Luke Lars try to right himself. 

"I didn't mean to insult Lady Ex!" Luke tried to clarify. "What did I do? Was it because it wasn't as good as it could be or because I haven't gotten around to addressing all of the problems?" The hallway was quiet, and as Luke drifted closer to Vader, the man reached up and grabbed onto his boot. He floated there, anchored by Lord Vader like a balloon. His hair was floating around his face, and anticipating...the ship's reaction? 

He jolted as his datapad chimed. Vader, still silent, gestured. The padd floated into his hands, and he opened his communications to find his schematics had been upgraded. From the color that indicated that he'd get around to it eventually, red, to the color that meant it had to be done now, now, now, now, now, now, black. 

"Oh," he shrieked as gravity reverted itself, and he fell. Not to the floor with an unpleasant crash, but directly into Vaders waiting and outstretched arms. Where he sat for several seconds as he tried to get his breathing under control and _reeling_ with the realization that the ship...was...alive? "Oh, kriff! Oh! Shit!" 

"Language, young one," Vader corrected him, amused. 

"I gotta get started on repairs and upgrades right now. I gotta!" Luke scrambled to the deck, his face burning a decent red as he tried to ignore the fact that Vader had caught him so easily. 

"Calm yourself, Lars. You will have time when you return from Scarif." 

"Lady Ex outranks you!" Luke blurted, a hand in his hair and clutching his datapad to his chest. "She's not happy that I'm haven't gotten around to working on the systems upgrades!" 

For a minute, Vader was silent. Luke doubted that anyone had ever contradicted Lord Vader so thoroughly before. No one had ever told him that was outranked him either. Only the Emperor did really, but to stand there and disagree directly with Lord Vader was usually a suicide move. He hoped the man wouldn't be too angry because discovering that the ship had been waiting for repairs that he'd been putting off for two months...was shaking the foundation of his world view. 

"When you return from Scarif," Vader ordered calmly. "You may begin repairs. Until then, you must prepare for your trip to Scarif. 

"Prepare?" Luke stared nervously at the ceiling, "oh right! I have to get all of the files together! I will. I will do that. Yes, sir. Right away. I'm glad you're sending Commander Cody with me. He was one of the most helpful troopers when I was working on his armor. He wanted to get his pauldron re-painted orange, so I made up a set of paint nanites. They can turn orange when he wants to stand out, and then white when he wants to blend it. The other troopers liked the idea, but I guess they don't get to do that before. The original members of the 501st had some really snazzy ideas for designs on their armor."

He continued filling in the man on anything and everything that would distract him from remembering that he'd been held in Vader's arms, even for the briefest of minutes. 

#$#$3

"Scarif?" General Veers exchanged a heavy glance with Captain Piett. "I supposed he is past due to turn in his designs. They are supposed to be sent out regularly, aren't they?" 

"Yes," Piett sipped his caf. He was as surprised as Veers that Lord Vader was going to let young Lars off the ship. It wasn't as if Lars was a prisoner, on the contrary. He moved about and inside the ship with more immunity than anyone. It was simply the fact that Lord Vader was beginning to develop...and attachment of sorts. It wasn't obvious to anyone in particular, but Piett had been serving Lord Vader for a while now. The man was possessive, demanding, and had little regard for military structure. To _share_ Lars was unthinkable at this point. 

"He's only been to Tatooine," General Veers mused, "seeing another planet after being onboard for so long might be good for him. You know, he's beginning to look pale." 

"He could use some sun," Piett admitted. "Scarif might not be the place. I can only imagine the politics that go on there. Not to mention..." 

Veers and Piett exchanged another grimace. 

Director Krennic was known to frequent Scarif when he thought there would be brass on the island. Lord Vader, and the Lady Ex dropping with what could only be the new plans for troopers armor, TIE fighters, and the host of other goodies Lars had designed, was sure to bring him running. The man was a known bloviate, with a temper almost a volatile as Lord Vader. Not as deadly, but twice as obnoxious. _How_ he would handle Lars wasn't up for debate. His temper would erupt, raining curses, accusations, and threats on all in the fall-out radius. At no point would the man tolerate being upstaged by an 18-year-old from Tatooine who had done the impossible in half a year's time. Lars was a genius, humble and friendly to the extent Piett wondered if he was hiding a terrible secret. Krennic was the opposite.

"It has been almost half a year," Veers mused, "perhaps he should take a vacation. Some leave, one a sunny planet. One with lots of water." 

"Not Scarif," Piett said hurriedly. "And I'm not sure Lord Vader would _allow_ Lars to leave for an extended period of time."

"Half a year without leave," the general waved a hand, "and it is Lars. He'd have to give the lad some time off." 

"I will bring the matter to him," Piett said, deciding to wait until after Lars' return from Scarif to drop the suggestion. He had the strangest feeling that Lord Vader would be twitchy and irritable while the young man was gone. 

As soon as they arrived at Scarif, sliding into orbit around the shielded planet, Piett conceded the bridge and made his way to the hanger bay. Head Engineer Lars might have a skill at discovering deception and lies, but it was best to tread lightly around bureaucrats. Not to mention the lad was representing the Lady Ex, whose temper seemed to have calmed. He had to look the part, and Lars had a habit of appearing in officers' meetings with dust and grime still clinging to his jumpsuit. Piett was determined that the boy would go to the surface, dressed sharply, and escorted by the 501st troopers in their new armor. 

He would look the part of Vader's favored, and hopefully, that would deter anyone from trying to cause the boy trouble. 

"Firmus," he met General Veers on the lift to the hanger. "I see we both have the same idea."

"Agreed." 

"A bit like sending Zev off to his first day of school," Veers rubbed his chin. "The first thing he did on his own. Had to trust him that he'll take care of himself." Abruptly, Piett realized that the only reason Veers was here, was to keep Piett from acting like an ass. He wasn't worried about Lars in any familial sense! He had the reputation of the Lady Ex to think of! Not to mention that career engineers would meet the creator of the Stormtrooper Universal Tactical Armor 1.3 and realize, as a collective that could turn into a mob, that they'd been out-thought by a boy whose career was made through scrape hunting videos on the holonet. His head spun as the though 'not everyone is as understanding and forgiving as Lord Vader' tittered across it with the grace of an AT-AT in ballet slippers. 

"Stars," he rubbed his temples, "I don't see why we can't send anyone else." 

"He's the head of engineering," Veers reminded him, "and only heads of engineering can access most of the databank." 

"If he meets Krennic." A dozen horrible images swam before him. The door opened, and the officers scurried from the lift in a way that suggested to onlookers that they _were not_ scurrying. The shuttle was ready, and Lord Vader was already there. Since it was too late for them to pretend they hadn't come to see Engineer Lars off, they joined the man at the base of the ramp. 

"A bit late, isn't he?" Veers asked when they had made the required salutes.

"He is coming," Vader proclaimed in the usual way he seemed to know everything. 

Two troopers appeared at the door. Their armor and weapons all made for an impressive escort, made doubly with the fact that Luke Lars had finally donned his official uniform. His boots were polished, and part of Piett's brain whispered that they had never been used in this capacity, and his clothes were pressed within an inch of their lives. The little black cap was perched on top of his head, containing his usually fly-away hair. Behind him, two more troopers marched, and a fifth one pushed a hover-crate. Even as small as he was, the heft of the troopers gave him an _entrance_. 

"Lord Vader!" Lars beamed and saluted. The troopers took up honor guard positions. The fifth one pushed the crate up the boarding ramp and began to secure it. "Thank you, Bookie." 

"You will represent the Executor, and by extension, me." Vader pointed an Imperious hand at Lars. "Do not fail, and do not disappoint." 

"I'll do my best." Piett resisted the urge to sigh deeply. Lars was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. It seemed Veers had been correct in think that the young man was thrilled to be on a new planet. Thankfully, Vader didn't seem inclined to correct his poor choice of words and waved for the boy to board. He did so, nodding respectfully to Piett and Veers, and his honor guard followed. 

As soon as he was gone, descending toward the planet, Piett shrugged to summon a decent explanation as to why he had come down to see him off. It wasn't his job, nor was it General Veers' job, and it definitely wasn't Lord Vaders. 

"Interesting," Veers spoke up after a moment. "I wonder what he's going to think of all that water."

Silence fell, and Piett could vividly imagine Commander Cody having to _fish_ the enthusiastic head engineer out of the water and dragging him back on board the shuttle. Much like a child who doesn't want their trip to the beach to end, and throws a tantrum to spend more time outside. The image of the Executor would be ruined by a baby-face head engineer encountering a body of water for the first time. 

Vader had nothing to say on the subject, and stalked over the observation window to brood, and watch the shuttle descending through the security gate. 

#$#$3

Luke was _vibrating_ as he stared through the cockpit window at the approaching planet. He couldn't believe how blue the planet was! He couldn't believe that there was this much water _in the galaxy_! And people just...lived near it! He would have had to farm with six or seven lifetimes to get just a little bit of water. 

"Kamino is a planet that's only water," Commander Cody told him, and Luke glanced at him and then back at the water that was approaching. 

" _Only water_?" 

"Yes, sir. Only water and constant rainstorms." Luke boggled at the idea. "It was where I was decanted." 

"Only water?" There was something like awe in his voice. 

"This planet is mostly salt-water. You can't drink it." 

"What's it good for then?" Luke asked. He knew that there were planets where salt-water covered most of it, but still! 

"Swimming mostly," another trooper piped up. Luke's eyes blew even wider. "Scarif isn't just a databank. It's also a world where officers and such take their leave. Just over the horizon, about twenty klicks is a large island that's mostly for vacationers." 

"Weird, do you think I could take one here?" 

"I don't see why not." 

"Maybe I'm not high ranking enough," Luke mused. 

"You're a Head Engineer," Commander Cody reminded him, "you should be able to." 

"This is my first time leaving the Executor in months," Luke fiddled with the crash webbing, half-heartedly redesigning the entire interior of the ship. "Seriously, people just...go play in the water?"

"Yes, sir." 

" _Amazing!"_ For a few minutes, he wondered what being surrounded by so much water would be like. 

"Scarif is nice, but I've always like Naboo." 

"Naboo?" 

"Yes, sir." This time Bookie spoke up. "Nice planet, mild temperatures, and even the sea creatures are as pretty as everything else." 

"Sea creatures?" 

"Yes, sir." 

" _What kind of creatures_?" Thrilled to the core at the prospect of giant sea creatures, Luke turned away from the window. "Can they eat you? Can you ride them? Are they giant?" 

The nerves faded away, and as soon as they landed, Luke emerged into the dazzling sunlight with utter glee. He shaded his eyes a bit until they adjusted, and gave a low whistle as the distant jungle and beaches came into view. The ocean gleamed and sparkled under the mid-day sun, shifted continuously, and reducing the former moisture farmer to dead silence. 

" _Wow._ " They had landed on a platform that was a few meters from the beach, and Luke visibly wrestled with himself. The urge to go investigate the enormous collection of water screamed in his ear as loudly as the need to fulfill his duty. Lord Vader would be annoyed if Luke took any longer than necessary...but _water_! Water you could play in! Luke stared longingly out at sea and forced himself to take a few deliberate steps toward the bunker.

"You know, sir," Cody said, sounding more amused than anything. "If you get the uploads finished quickly, there's no reason we can't make a bit of a detour." 

"YES!" Luke picked up the pace, turning about to make sure the crate was following and rushed over the path to the bunker. 

He didn't notice, as was usual, the fact that that he stormtroopers stationed on the beach were staring at their entourage. He didn't realize that the armor, the newest and highly anticipated the galaxy over, was drawing as many stares as he was.

So far, only the 501st had been granted the new phase armor. A fact that was wildly known. Not to mention, the Executor had a familiar, near iconic outline. That was now hanging in orbit overhead. Eyes slid from the new phase armor to the insignia on the teenager's torso, and then to the ship having over them.

"Huh," someone said and called the command center to make sure that determined, black-clad, Head Engineer was given every amenity and respect possible so as to not irritate Lord Vader with an unfavorable report. 

Luke pushed into the command center, focused, and determined to hurry through with the upload. Cody, Bookie, and the others swept in after him, doing their part to give him an air of authority. He knew, as well as anyone, that officers and careermen didn't like answering to a baby-faced teenager. 

"Sir!" Someone, he didn't know the rank they wore, saluted hastily. Luke focused on him,

He missed the gapes and stares directed at the clone troopers. They stood at perfect attention, weapons ready, and masks utterly impassive, modeling the new armor to the jealous troopers still encased in the white, plastic, costume armor. The officers were properly intimidated, knowing that the 501st as the Fist of Vader. Since only the Head Engineer could upload the new projects...then the scrawny blond must be Luke Lars. He didn't exactly look fearsome, but there was a blinding intensity in his face and a focus that could only come from confident men. He stood tall, holding his datapad close, and gestured sharply with it when the mood seemed to strike him. 

He carried the authority of Vader in many respects. And every trooper knew that this man had worked day and night for a month to contrive an armor that would protect them. They might not have access to it now, but it would eventually be distributed to even the non-combat units. Most of the Stormtrooper, beneath their masks, were staring at the blond with something approaching devotion. As soon as he was gone, sweeping out of the room with the 501st troopers in tow, someone made a strangled noise. 

#$#$3

Luke had to leave the troopers behind the vault doors and lugged the cate in himself. He had a dozen projects to upload and sort into the right systems, and he desperately wanted to go see the ocean. After the officers showed him how to operate the system, Luke started in. He worked feverishly, the allure of the water too much for his peace of mind. 

Outside, the troopers were staring at each other silently.

"Is the armor as nice as everyone says it is?" The man at the door controls asked. Cody could guess the lustful gaze his armor was attracting. 

"Better," Bookie replied, "moves and breathes like a charm. "You can upload your nickname to the HUD, and music and audiobooks." 

" _Really_?" 

"Yep, and the filtration system is amazing." 

"Did it really help cut the obstacle run by three minutes?" 

"One minute, thirty-two seconds." 

" _Yo_ _u're kidding_!" 

"Not even." 

"They make it sound like magic," the trooper told them, "I wasn't even sure half it was real. Does it really come with a field generator?" 

"Yep." 

There was a reverent silence as the Stormtrooper gazed as the 501st. "Amazing, and you're saying that...kid was the one who designed it?" 

"Head Engineer Lars," Cody said proudly. The blond reminded him almost painfully of Anakin Skywalker. The frantic energy, the bright eyes, but there was a lot of enthusiasm and cheer that Anakin Skywalker had never really possessed. 

"You're all lucky that Director Krennic left just the other day. He'd be having a fit." 

Cody didn't regret it, but he would have liked the opportunity to flex his new armor in front of the Death troopers. Those smug shits had had the best armor for years, and now what was the best was not obsolete. _Clone troopers_ and regular stormtroopers were sporting the lastest tech and goodies. 

"He's got to be an engineering god. Oh, that was fast. He's finished already." The door opened, and Luke Lars burst through. The Stormtrooper was gazing at him with new respect and adoration. 

"Let's go!" Luke said, ushering them toward the door. "Let's go! Before they try to rope me into having lunch with them or something! We need to go!" 

"Yes, sir." Cody and the other fell into step around him, ensuring that no one would have the opportunity or the desire to stop him. Lars probably didn't mean to, but he had an intense, focused expression on his face. Combined with the effect of his guards decked out in new armor, he looked as intimidating as he could get. 

#$#$3

Luke hadn't missed sand at all. It was rough, coarse, irritating, and it got everywhere! He didn't miss climbing over the shifting dunes, or baking in the oppressive heat of the twin suns...but this was amazing! The sand was warm, not hot, and even if it was getting everywhere there was still an ocean it was backed against. He stopped at the wet sand, as the waves lapped at the front of his boots. 

"It's not going to hurt you, sir." Commander Cody said, and Luke nodded as he crouched just a hands length from the water. 

"It's...amazing." Gently, he dipped the tips of his fingers into the water and giggled as the waves swept the digits back and forth. "Wow." Then he lowered his whole hand into the water. It washed over and over his palm and his left hand joined the right. He watched the water moving and shifting over his hand and then up to his wrists. "Wow...there's so much water! It's...amazing!"

"Yes, sir." Cody agreed, and Luke looked back, beaming. 

$#$#

Darth Vader waited until he was alone to open his datapad and the files that were waiting for review. Several messages from Commander Cody captures and stills of Luke Lars as he explored the beach-front, the water, the trees, and the small sand-mites that were crawling over the sand. His expression was continuously amazed, and he cupped water in his hands as if he couldn't believe he could. 

At least Krennic hadn't been on planet. The insufferable fool would only irritate Lars and everyone else. 

He wanted to order Luke to return to the Executor immediately, but the boy's joy was too wonderous to quash so easily. It wouldn't harm anyone if he waited to return. 

#$#$3

Luke was more than ready to spend the entire evening exploring the beach and watching the water, but he had the feeling he was stretching Lord Vader's temper. With great reluctance, he got into the shuttle, and within a minutes they were airborne. They passed a shuttle going down as they were going up. 

"I wonder who that was," Luke mused, it had to TIE escorts, not upgraded, and it was flying unfamiliar tags. "Oh well."

Almost as soon as they docked, and before Luke had even gotten off the shuttle, the Executor was already leaping into hyperspace. 

"Huh." He looked around, "wonder why we jumped so quickly." 

"I couldn't say, sir." Commander Cody lied, and Luke wondered if he should investigate that or let it slide. He shrugged and decided to ignore it. 

"I think that we're all done now. I need to get changed back into my work clothes and start on my next project." 

"What is your next project, sir?" Bookie wondered. Luke gestured broadly to the ship. 

"The Lady herself!" 

$#$3

Engineer Lars was as ambitious as he was intelligent. He worked on the Lady's systems and framework and new designs as hard as he had on the armor. He did make a few mistakes, one which resulted in the bridge losing gravity for a solid ten minutes. It was hard to remain calm and professional after you'd floated through a cloud of your own caf. Piett managed it, and when Engineer Lars's head had popped through the vent in the ceiling with a profuse apology, Piett had graced him with a fiery glare, caf dripping off his face. 

There was no telling what Admiral Ozzel would have said on the matter. Piett didn't dare to think of it. 

Lars was working tirelessly, and so Piett thought nothing of it. He supposed later, that he'd been foolish enough to think that an 18-year-old would have the slef-discipline to put himself to bed at regular times, eat regular meals, and reduce his dependency on caf. His consideration of Lars's potential leave yet again when a message slinked into his inbox. A message from the Lady, and it was almost as if the old girl was guilty! 

It was an amusing if alarming, collection of security footage of Head Engineer Lars falling asleep at his desk. Head Engineer Lars drinking too much caf. Head Engineer Lars working through an entire third shift. Head Engineer sleeping a few hours on his chair. Head Engineer Lars forgetting to eat...there were a lot of holes. 

"I see." He mused. Reworking the Lady Ex was a much larger project for Lars and even the entire crew of engineers. "Please send this to Lord Vader."

The light overhead winked, and he returned to his work, wondering how the hell Lars had endeared himself to Lady Ex. 

#$#$3

Luke was _tired_. He was ready to work and more than willing to work, but there was so much to do! So much to untangle! Every time he thought he'd cleared a snag, he stumbled right into the next one! It was an endless mess of combing through systems and files and diagnostics and readings to find the best way to keep Lady Ex in fighting trim. She was a lovely ship, even if she kept shorting out his sonic, made his caf maker explode, and cut the power to his doors so he couldn't open them for eight hours at a time. 

He might have been feuding with a ship...Luke wasn't awake enough to be sure. He'd take leave when he had concrete designs to give Kuat Shipyard so they could do the heavy lifting on the repairs. Apparently they'd also stopped construction on all star destroyers until Luke submitted the plans for the designs. He had a feeling that that was Lord Vader's fault. 

"You are reckless." For the first time, Lord Vader's voice wasn't enough to jolt Luke about. He kept his head down and stared at the potential new life-support design. 

"How can I be reckless?" Luke wondered. 

"Tomorrow, a shuttle leaves for Naboo," Vader told him, joining him at the table. "You will be on it." 

"Naboo?" There were waterfalls on Naboo. He'd watched holos and documentaries about the planet on some of the slower nights. Cody had said it was a beautiful planet. "Why...sir?" He amended when the man turned from the designs to him. Vader didn't seem angry, more annoyed than anything. 

"You have been putting off leave."

"I haven't," Luke blurted, "I submitted all of my forms for leave, they just kept getting denied." 

Vader was still as dangerous as a looming kryat dragon who was still deciding on if it wanted you for lunch or not. "Indeed?"

"I guess Admiral Ozzel really wants the ship's upgrades finished. He keeps denying them. I'd like to go to Scraif, do I have to go to Naboo?" 

Again, Vader was quiet. "You will go to Naboo; you will remain there for a month." 

"A month! I have so much work left to do! There's a lot of people counting on me!" His mouth lacked shut as Vader set a hand on his shoulder. He was too tired to shrug it off and stared into the grill. 

"You have done more in a few months than most do in two years," the man a said as softly as he could say. "Only fools would begrudge this." 

"Then, I think I am a fool because I really do have things to do." 

"Like all creators," Vader steam-rolled over him, "you will need ample time to regain your strength. As a child of Tatooine, I am certain you require more light and air to grow." 

"I'm not a plant," Luke groused, and Vader patted the top of his head in condescension. "I've never been to Naboo. Where am I going to stay? What am I going to do for a whole month? I don't have a lot of clothes, and I don't." 

"It is all arranged," the man waved off his concern and began to dally around the workshop look at the schematics and designs he'd considered and discarded. "You will simply pack, and if you are not at the docking back on time, you will be dragged down."

"Yes, sir." He sighed heavily and slumped against the draft board. " _Do I have to_?"

"Yes," again, Vader was only amused. "What's this?" He looked back and read the datapad that Vader held out to him. 

"Communications from a base on Eadu. I kept getting these angry little messages that were really...awful, so I ignore them. They mostly insult me and stuff, so I ignore them. I don't know who would waste time on this, but the number keeps changing, so it's hard to block."

"Indeed." That was ominous. "The shuttle departs at 0800. Do not be late." 

"Yes, sir." Luke frowned as the man made to leave and then paused. 

"Go to bed." Then Lord Vader was gone, and Luke was left totally bewildered. 

3$#$#$#

As soon as Luke Lars departed the ship, taking a chunk of the good humor and light with him, General Veers sidled into the seat across from Piett in the officer's lounge. There was a gleeful expression on his face that meant he had drama and wanted Piett to prepare himself. 

"What is it?" Piett asked, eyeing his caf suspiciously in case the Lady decided to send them all reeling toward the ceiling. 

"Krennic was landing on Scarif at the same time Lars was leaving." 

_A close shave._

"Interesting." 

"And Director Krennic keeps sending communications to Lars, but the lad was ignoring them!" 

"I don't see how hate-mail is communication." Lady Ex had forwarded him some of those messages. It was a wonder that Luke Lars hadn't been sulking from one end of the ship to the other. 

"Ah," Veers had learned never to question where Piett got his intel. "And he's sent a message to Lord Vader... _requesting_ to meet with Head Engineer Lars." 

"Interesting." Maybe that was why Lady Ex had been so keen to get the boy off the ship. She was still waiting on her upgrades, but a month wasn't time long to wait if it meant annoying and inconveniencing Director Krennic. The engineer had insulted her deeply on launch day, and he hadn't even done with class or coherence. "And Lord Vader has ordered that no one end unnecessary communications to Lars."

"Exactly." Veers grinned, leaning back in his seat. "Naboo is where Lord Vader maintains a residence." 

"Oh?" 

"Yes," the man was smug, and Piett had a feeling of intense foreboding pass over him. The odds were too high to bet against Lord Vader sending Lars to his residence. He could only imagine what sort of residence the man had...and what it meant for the boy. 

"Engineer Lars has given the engineering corps more than enough to do in his absence," Piett told him. "I am sure it will be an enlightening month for us." And for Lord Vader, to function with the man who had shot to the top of the secondary ranking system and was now over Piett. Thank the stars that Lars was humble and young enough to not challenge anyone directly. 

Everyone from Tarkin to Krennic, to the remaining senators wanted a conversation with Engineer Lars. The rebellion was probably baying for his blood, and there were no less than a collective billion credits on bounties for Luke Lar; captured alive and unharmed. Black Sun's was the most promising at 2.5 million credits for the boy alive and unharmed.

No doubt Lord Vader would ensure that Lars was well protected on Naboo, but Piett couldn't help but wonder what might go wrong with such an impetuous young man left to wander around by himself. He wanted to send Commander Cody with him, just to ease the baffling concern tightening his stomach. 

There was always time to learn, now was just as well as later. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope I did Jackdaw_Kraai's work justice and I hope ya'll enjoy this.


End file.
